The Early Christmas Jumper
by JulietRoses
Summary: A fluffy Hermione/Charlie one-shot: Hermione has decided to do an internship at the Romanian Ministry of Magic. Before she starts though, she'd promised Mrs. Weasley to deliver a small parcel to Charlie. As a thank you, Charlie decides to give her a tour of the reservation. But: "Kissing in front of a dragon's nest might not be the smartest plan."


_**A/N:**_

_**Hi, thank you for noticing my story. This is a very simple and fluffy one-shot about Charlie and Hermione. This plot bunny has been jumping around in my head for a while now, and I finally put it into words. It's very simple but I hope you'll enjoy it either way. I'm still new to the ratings, so please tell me if you think this doesn't pass for a T-rating. N **_

_**Quick warning before you start, English isn't my first language. I hope you'll still like it, I certainly loved writing it!**_

_**~ Girl of Camelot**_

_**Disclaimer: all the Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended. **_

* * *

_**The Early Christmas Jumper**_

* * *

Romanian Ministry of Magic  
Department of Magical Law Enforcement  
Romania

June 16, 1999

Ms. Hermione Granger  
67B Hogsmeade  
Scotland

Dear Ms. Granger,

We are pleased to offer you an internship position at the Romanian Ministry of Magic for the fall 1999 semester. Please see below the specifics regarding your internship:

**Internship Title:** Department of Magical Law Enforcement Intern

**Start date:** September 23rd, 1999

**End date:** December 22nd, 1999

**Number of hours:** 15 hours. You will not work more than 20 hours per week.

**Location of Internship: **Romanian Ministry of Magic.

**Supervisor for internship:** Mrs. Eugenia Lakatos Head of Department of Magical Law Enforcement Romania.

**Responsibilities:** Fulfil tasks set out by supervisors from several departments. Attend meetings. Perform research at a supervisor's request.

**Internship stipend:** 5 galleons per hour.

Please indicate your acceptance of the internship by signing this letter and returning it to the Romanian Ministry of Magic, Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

Congratulations on your internship!

Best wishes,

Mrs. Eugenia Lakatos, Head of Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

* * *

After rereading the letter for the umpteenth time this week, Hermione signed the letter at the designated spot. She felt an odd source of relieve, a weight lifted of her shoulders.

When she had shown interest in living abroad for a time, to learn about different magical societies and cultures, multiple countries had offered her an internship. She had been undecisive for weeks, driving everybody around her completely nuts.

After narrowing it down to two countries: France and Romania. She had made a pros and cons list, and to everyone's surprise, she'd chosen Romania.

In a moment of courage, she'd grabbed the letter and a quill, bringing us to the current situation. She folded the parchment and put it back in the envelope, securing it shut with a swift move of her wand.

She could use Harry, Ron and her shared owl, Ceasar. He'd never flown that far, but with a few stops in between he should be able to make it to Romania.

She tied the envelope to Ceasar's leg, which earned her a screech. Scratching his head affectionately, she ordered him to fly to the Romanian Ministry of Magic. As he flew out of the window, she knew it was official, she would be going to Romania.

* * *

For the first time ever, she had procrastinated something until the last minute. Now it was the 9th of September and she was supposed to start the 23rd. She'd wanted to spend two weeks in Romania before starting the internship, to get accustomed to the new country and living accommodations. This meant she would have to leave today.

As she put the last things into her bag, she sighed. She would miss sharing a flat with Ron and Harry or the family dinner at the Burrow every Friday night.

Yesterday, she'd said her goodbyes to her parents and the Weasley family. She had almost gotten crushed to death after the multiple hugs she'd received from Mrs. Weasley. Luckily, Mr. Weasley had noticed her head turning a bit blue after the seventh hug and distracted the strong woman. She chuckled as she realized she now technically owed her life to Mr. Weasley.

Before she left the Burrow, Mrs. Weasley had asked her one favour: if she would deliver a small parcel to Charlie. Mrs. Weasley didn't trust Errol enough to deliver it all the way to Romania, afraid he would plummet into the sea halfway to the continent. She had agreed wholeheartedly and decided to meet up with Charlie before she would have to start working.

Arrived at the British Ministry of Magic, she was now standing in front of the international floo-network, searching for the fireplace that would take her to Romania.

The only thing she was carrying, was her small beaded handbag with the undetectable extension charm placed upon it. She'd succeeded in packing all her belongings in the small bag, making her once again marvel at the endless possibilities magic gifted her.

Once she'd found the right fireplace, she called out for her new flat in Romania and was promptly swept away in green flames.

* * *

After adjusting to her surroundings for a week and a half, she had settled a bit. Now she had decided to give Charlie a visit. Settling in, in a new country, could be a little lonely, and she missed having the Weasley's around. Seeing Charlie would be the perfect remedy for her specific case of home-sickness.

She had to admit she was a bit nervous though, she didn't know Charlie very well. Of course, she knew all about him and his passion for dragons. She had spoken to him a few times and enjoyed his company. But it was always at Weasley family gatherings with all her friends present or while fighting in the war. She had never talked to him on her own, getting to know him personally. For all she knew, he could think about her as his little brother's friend: unimportant.

After some much-needed self-encouragement, she was ready to go. Parcel in one hand, handbag in the other, she apparated away with a loud crack.

* * *

The dragon sanctuary was nothing like she'd expected. She was ashamed to admit she had expected something like a researching zoo, but with dragons. Well she couldn't have been more wrong, it was extraordinary.

As soon as she walked through the protective wards, placed around the whole sanctuary, she could feel the dragons' magic. It felt wild, foreign and beautifully pure, like magic at its finest. The whole place was overrun with nature. Trees and plants, she had only read about, grew here in large numbers. Dragons flew around peacefully not minding the witches and wizards doing their jobs.

It looked like a fairy-tale.

She snapped out of her amazement as she noticed a bulky looking wizard coming her way, shouting something towards her in Romanian.

"Îmi pare rău că vorbesc doar engleză" She began to say as he came into hearing distance. It was ironic that the only sentence she could say in Romanian meant she could only speak English. But her pronunciation was good enough for him to understand and he started to speak English with a heavy accent. "What are you doing here, it's very dangerous walking around here without an expert."

"I'm sorry, I'm looking for Charlie Weasley, I've got something for him." She answered, holding up the lumpy package. He looked at it and nodded his head, pointing towards a big stone building. "He should be in there, his break started 10 minutes ago."

She thanked him as he walked her over to the building, letting her inside. The building was almost empty, save for a few wizards spread out over four large tables. She immediately noticed Charlie, he was eating a sandwich while reading out of a large book. Unfortunately, he hadn't seen her come in, to engrossed in his book.

She walked over to his table, starting uncertainly, "Er, Hi Charlie."

He startled, looking up with confused eyes. As soon as he saw her, he grinned widely. "Hermione? Hermione Granger?! Wow Merlin, it's good to see you! What are you doing here?" He asked excitedly.

She grinned, "Well, I thought you knew, but I've moved to Romania until the end of the year. Your mother asked me if I would make sure to get you this," She held up the parcel, "So, here I am, giving this to you." She placed the parcel on the table, pushing it his way.

"My mum asked you to give me this? Strange… normally she doesn't have trouble sending me something. It must be important; do you mind if I opened it right now?" She shook her head, curious herself of the mystery package. "Do you want me to leave?" She asked to be polite, hoping he would say no.

"What? No! Of course not, you've come all this way, and I don't think this is going to be anything private. Just wait a second, and I'll give you a tour of the sanctuary." She nodded, already excited at the idea of seeing this beautiful place.

He tore the brown paper open in one swift move. Hermione leaned over the table trying to see what was inside. And to both their surprise, a forest green Weasley jumper with a large C was revealed.

"Huh, Mum is early this year…" He looked confused as he closed the package again. "I mean, this is normally our Christmas gift but it's only September. Why would she order you to make sure this got to me? It just doesn't make sense, but then my mother doesn't make a lot of sense nowadays." He shook his head in confusion as he got up. "Let's go, I have finished most of my tasks already, we can make a day trip out of it, if you don't mind."

"No, that's fine, it would make me very happy to see this place!"

He stepped away from the table and Hermione got the first chance to look at him properly since after the war. And wow, her eyes followed each curve of his body, marvelling at the sight of his muscles, how they moved with the slightest breath. He was beautiful, sinfully beautiful.

Okay, she should look somewhere else, otherwise she would start acting like a giddy schoolgirl soon and that wasn't a level she wanted to lower herself to.

After she and Ron had shared their first kiss, they both knew they wouldn't work as a couple. They were too different and would be better as friends. And it all worked out in the end because now the golden trio was closer than ever before. After the sort of break up with Ron and her infatuation gone, she had noticed that all the Weasleys were good on the eyes, but unfortunately, she'd never seen Charlie again.

He waved her over to the door and together they walked into the busy sanctuary he called his home.

* * *

They'd been walking around for a while. Charlie had introduced her to most of his colleagues, some she'd recognized from her first year with Norbet (or Norbetta, as she was now called), and showed her the base of the sanctuary, but they hadn't seen many dragons yet. When she'd pointed this out, he'd only smiled secretly.

"Patience Hermione, Patience." He'd said, making her scoff, but she'd said nothing more, practicing the beautiful art of patience.

At last, Charlie led her to the edge of the forest. "Okay Hermione get ready, we're going into dragon territory now. Normally visitors aren't allowed in here, but I've been able to pull some strings. For our safety though, we must stay together, understood?" She nodded and Charlie grabbed her by the hand, pulling her into the forest. She didn't know why, but his warm hand in hers sent shivers down her spine.

She knew it probably didn't mean anything to him and she possibly read too much into the situation, as always. But she loved how his fingers felt in hers, how his calloused hands caressed her hand softly, the touch lingering on her skin, making it hot and cold at the same time.

With the first step into the forest, she immediately noticed the magical energies. It seemed alive, magic pulsing through it like blood through a human. But although it was a magical forest, it didn't resemble the forbidden forest in the slightest. This forest was colourful and light.

She was startled out of her thoughts when a loud roar echoed through the trees. Charlie, who had felt her flinch, pulled her towards him in a comforting matter. "Don't be afraid, they won't hurt you."

Hermione's snorted, "Sure, full grown dragons aren't dangerous at all, says the man covered in scars from head to toe."

"Alright fair, but those scars came from introducing new stressed dragons to the sanctuary, not from walking through the forest."

She believed him but still muttered a few protection spells under her breath. When she felt the magic wash over her, she began walking further into the forest confidently. She heard Charlie laugh behind her as he tried to catch up with her.

"Don't think I didn't feel those spells wash over me Granger!"

She looked at him innocently, "I'm sorry, I've no idea what you're talking about."

And together they strolled through the forest, with Charlie talking passionately about every species they encountered from afar and Hermione marvelling at all the new information.

* * *

They'd been walking for a while and were both in need of a rest. Therefore, when they'd encountered a fallen tree trunk, they both agreed to sit down for a while.

"Okay, I'm intrigued, tell me what exactly are you doing here? Not that I mind of course, the company is more than welcome!"

She smiled, "Well like I've told you, I've moved to Romania until December. I've accepted an Internship here at the Romanian Ministry of Magic. I've just finished my N.E.W.T.s and have been preparing to work at the British Ministry of Magic. And although they offered me a job as soon as the war was over, I've never felt completely ready, I've always felt like taking the offer would start a new chapter of my life too soon. Thus, I became interested at staying abroad for a while, learning about new magical cultures. Well, as you can imagine, when it came out that one member of the golden trio was looking for a job out of the country, the offers came flying in. And here we are. I've accepted the Romanian offer."

He looked at her with wide eyes, "Why Romania, if you had every country to choose from, why?"

She looked at him sheepishly, the real reason had been about him. She liked the idea of having someone in a foreign country, to not be completely alone for months. But also, she has always had a small crush on the Weasley brother. Come on, it was hard not to, with his muscular frame, blue eyes, bright red hair and his passion in everything he did. He was the dream guy for many girls.

"Err, I always liked Eastern Europe, it has always felt like an underrated part of Europe to me. I don't know actually, it just spoke to me." She answered, not lying … just hiding the truth a bit.

He nodded understandingly, "Well, I'm glad you chose Romania, it's nice to have some company from my home country, especially now that the fights are over and everything is finally going back to normal, the war really over."

A silence fell, one that often fell when the war was mentioned, bringing painful memories up in everyone.

After a silent minute, Charlie started again. "If you got the package from my mum, you must have been to the Burrow recently. How is everyone? How are Fred and George doing?"

In the final battle, a wall had crumbled on Fred, almost killing him. Luckily, George had reacted inhumanly quickly and had casted an extremely powerful protection charm on his twin. When they retrieved him from the mess, he had been in a magical coma for three months, but he was alive. Hadn't it been for George, he wouldn't have been here at all. Now, Fred still was in the process of rehabilitating, but able to live his life normally again, their business thriving more than ever. She couldn't imagine what the year after the war would have been like had he not survived.

"Fred is fine, the business has been started up again, and he's able to work normally. George is himself again and they're pranking everyone in their way, much to your mother's irritation. Percy is almost always home, making up for lost time, I think. There have been some hard times, I mean you've attended all the funerals, so you would know. Harry has been feeling guilty a lot, especially after he would spend some time with small Teddy, I think it's survivors' guilt. Now a year has passed, everyone has gone back to work, life is slowly returning back to normal."

"I miss them, sometimes I think I was wrong in going back here, leaving my family alone after only a few months. Are they angry?" He asked, looking very vulnerable suddenly.

"What? No, of course not! They are happy you love what you do and wouldn't want to keep you away. They miss you, surely. But that's normal!"

He nodded, still looking a bit sullen.

"I'm glad you're here Hermione, I didn't know how much I needed a familiar face."

And in a moment of confidence, Hermione leaned against him, putting her head on his shoulder. He stiffened a bit in surprise but quickly wrapped his arm around her, pulling her tightly against him.

They sat like this for what felt like hours, enjoying each other's comfort and warmth. More than a year might have passed since the battle of Hogwarts, but sometimes it felt closer than ever. Those were the times you needed your friends or family around, times like these.

* * *

"Come on, I want to show you my favourite place!" Charlie said excitedly, pulling her up and dragging her along further into the forest. He manoeuvred them quickly through the woods, keeping the wayward branches from hitting her in the face.

They soon arrived at a beautiful lake against a small hill, flowers blooming everywhere. Colours flooded her vision, even to a witch it seemed unearthly, impossible.

Charlie, who had probably seen this place many times before, was smiling at her reaction. "Do you see the small cave in the hill, hidden behind the tall grass?" He asked silently when her eyes finally returned to their normal size.

She squinted her eyes a bit, nodding excitedly when she noticed the shadow from cave.

"That's the home of a Romanian Longhorn, it's my favourite dragon." He looked at the cave with longing.

"Why is this species in particular your favourite?"

Charlie turned his attention to her as he started to answer. "This place, this sanctuary was built on the native territory of the Longhorn. His territory has now become the world's most important dragon reservation, where wizards of all nationalities study a variety of dragons. The place I now call my home. That's why I love him, his home created mine."

"He's now part of an intensive breeding programme because its numbers have fallen so low. There is a large trade in their beautiful golden horns, resulting in them slowly becoming extinct. Luckily their horns are now defined as a Class B Tradeable Material and the hunts have ceased. But the damage has already been done, and this is one of the few Longhorns still alive. He needs someone to fight for him, he is a symbol for many things in the wizarding world."

Hermione looked at the cave sadly. She been furious about the wizarding world's attitude to magical creatures, and this was again proof of what it did to their beautiful world. She was glad to have found someone with similar views.

"But that's not the only reason I brought you here. I brought you here to show you this." He took her hand and led her to the other side of the lake, closer towards the cave. She was now close enough to see the inside. He held his finger up against his lips, signalling her to stay silent. She nodded and inspected the inside of the cave.

She gasped and Charlie squeezed her hand.

In the cave were three dark green eggs with golden spots. When the light from the sun hit the eggs, an explosion of light began. The entire cave was covered with a golden hue. Making the cave fairy-tale like, covering everything in a magical haze. It was beautiful, absolutely beautiful.

"It recently laid three eggs. Normally, the Longhorn only lays one egg, so imagine our surprise when we saw this. This means that the species is finally doing well again, that it feels comfortable again in its environment and wants to start a new population. It has hope in our new world." He whispered softly in her ear.

She looked him in the eyes, "Thank you for showing me this, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity that I probably never would have been able to see, hadn't it been for you."

He nodded, looking back into her eyes. His eyes were such a brilliant blue, sparkling with light. Suddenly she noticed his eyes moving towards her lips and back. A quick movement but unmissable.

And in the blink of an eye, his lips were on hers, stealing the breath from her lungs. Surprised by his sudden move, she froze. Luckily her mind was quickly catching up with her body and she started to kiss him back as if her life depended on it.

He groaned when he felt her respond and placed his hands on her hips, pulling the beautiful girl towards him. She lifted her arms to his neck, playing with the long red locks.

Soon his tongue ghosted over her lips seeking entrance, entrance she was happy to grant him, and she opened her mouth slightly. His tongue started to explore her mouth with passion she thought he only possessed while working with dragons. His mouth felt fantastic on hers, hot, soft and yielding, giving her everything she wanted.

She moaned quietly as he bit her lower lip softly, his hand moving under her shirt, pulling her body flush against him.

His warm, calloused hands stroked over her bare skin, pulling her shirt upwards slightly. She shivered as the cold air hit her back, resulting in him pulling her even closer, his heat wrapping over her like a blanket.

While her kiss with Ron had been enjoyable, he was nothing compared to Charlie. Charlie's kiss left her breathless, yet in no want for air. He was passionate, wild and… perfect. It was like he knew every part of her, how to send hot shivers all through her body.

Slowly, Charlie removed his lips from hers, making Hermione groan dissatisfied.

He chuckled softly, "I'm sorry love, believe me, I don't want to stop too, but we might want to relocate. Kissing in front of a dragon's nest might not be the smartest plan. An incredibly dangerous mother could come home every minute and might not like two people kissing in front of her unborn children."

She laughed and shook her head. "Fair point. She might not like that."

He wrapped his arm around her waist and led her back the way they came.

* * *

When they arrived at the fallen tree trunk again, he pulled her down quickly. Causing her to fall onto his lap. The sun was slowly going under and an orange-red light broke through the trees, giving the forest a fairy-like atmosphere.

Charlie grinned at her, "How about a quick round two before return to the world?" Hermione gave an enthusiastic nod, grabbing every chance she got at kissing this incredible man in front of her.

Their lips met slowly this time, his hands on her cheeks. She sighed as she parted her lips again, inviting him in. Taking the invitation, he started to duel her tongue heatedly. He kissed her like he had suddenly become addicted to her, unable to live without her lips, and she enjoyed it thoroughly.

She heard the softest groan coming from his lips as he moved from her mouth to her jaw. Tracing her jawline with small kisses. She put her head back, granting him full access, moaning under her breath at his touch.

"Wow, you don't know how long I've fantasized about kissing you like this." He mumbled against her neck, as he kissed her pulse point.

"You're not the only one." She let out breathily.

He looked at her, "I don't think you even know how beautiful you are."

She opened her eyes looking at him with wide eyes, looking for a lie in the words he just said, she only found sincerity looking back at her.

She pulled him back rapidly, their mouth crashing together in the most passionate kiss yet. As his tongue slipped into her mouth, they were lost.

* * *

When they finally broke apart, they grinned wickedly at each other, trying to catch their breath. He pulled her up reluctantly, taking her hand in his as he pulled her back towards the camp base.

"I'm sorry love, we have to go back now. It's almost completely dark, meaning it will get more dangerous here every minute."

She nodded and leaned into him as they walked back. Truthfully, she didn't want to go home yet, but them becoming dinner for one of those vicious dragons might not be the best idea.

Once they got back to the stone-house, he led her to the fireplaces.

"Thank you, Charlie, for showing me all this. It means more to me than you know."

"Why?"

She smiled at him softly, "Dragons have always been something special to me. It's just magic at its fullest." She looked him in the eye, awaiting his reaction, but he just smiled encouragingly, "Ever since I saw the dragon at the first task in the Triwizard Tournament, Err, I don't know how to explain this."

She chuckled because it all sounded so stupid in her head and was going to sound even weirder to him. "Magic always felt like a dream to me, to good to be true. As soon as I saw the first dragon, I felt his magic, the purity. It made me realize that I was here for the long haul, living the fantasy. It was the ultimate proof of the wizarding world, if these beasts could exist, I could too." She looked at him and bit her lip softly, "They made me truly believe in magic, made me come out of the books a bit."

"And I thought you couldn't get any hotter, O how wrong I was." He whispered into her ear, pulling her towards him. Their lips met in a last kiss, sweet and quick.

When Hermione pulled away, Charlie led them both to the floo-network

"I hope I'll see more of you." He said as she grabbed some floo-powder.

She laughed quietly, "I hope so, too. Don't be afraid to stop by my flat sometime." She answered as she stepped into the fireplace. He winked at her as she yelled her address and was swept away.

As she stumbled into her flat, one thought played through her mind: 'This was going to be a promising year.'

* * *

Charlie had flooed home as soon as Hermione had disappeared. Dropping his bag on the ground, he noticed the brown paper of his mother's gift sticking out slightly.

As he lifted the package out of his bag, a small piece of parchment fell out, slowly descending to the floor. When he picked it up, he immediately recognized his mother's handwriting.

_I hope you enjoyed your day with Hermione, I knew you two would be perfect for each other. _

_Love, Mum_

_Ps. Write your family more often! _

He grinned, his mum always tried to set him up with every available witch. But he had to admit, she had hit the bull's-eye with this one. He really liked Hermione and hoped she would be the one to stay.

* * *

_**The End**_


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